Paula L. Richards, RN, MHA, has been appointed Director of Surgical Services at Natividad Medical Center. She was previously Chief Clinical Officer at Tulare District Hospital, Tulare, CA where she integrated and coordinated nursing services and operations of multiple departments and developed a long –term recruitment and retention plan that significantly reduced the nursing vacancy rate.

From 1979-2003 she served in various administrative capacities in Perioperative, Surgical/Cardiac Services at Children’s Hospital Central California in Madera, CA. where she developed an acute/chronic pain management service and was instrumental in the OR facility design and the move to a new facility. Ms. Richards served as Chief Nursing Officer/Senior Vice President at Children’s Hospital and during this time founded the Executive Nursing Council and the Nursing Leadership Academy.

Ms. Richards established the only freestanding pediatric Bloodless Medicine and Surgery Program in the western United States and co-developed the Children’s Healthcare Corporation of America’s Perioperative Benchmarking Project

In 1998, the Central Valley Coalition of Nursing Organizations selected her RN of the Year, Administration. Ms. Richards received her BSN from California State University, Fresno and a Masters degree with Honors from Chapman University.